Architecture and Home Design

House Wrapped Around the Open Atrium with Natural Light in the Interior

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 09:43 PM PDT

This house is located on a cul de sac and is wrapped around the open atrium. Thanks to such construction there are a lot of natural light in the interior, the cross ventilation is great and outdoor living area is hided from everybody. The private areas like master bedroom, closet and bathroom are located in one wing of the house, while the public areas like dining kitchen and multi-purpose room in another. There are also additional bedroom and bathroom in the public area for guests. The large carport area is located at the front of the house along with a large two car garage. The interior of the house is done in calm and cosy style. Another very interesting feature of the house is the high double gables which provide plenty of drama to the house's exterior. [ VIA ]

House Wrapped Around the Open Atrium with Natural Light in the Interior 1 House Wrapped Around the Open Atrium with Natural Light in the Interior

House Wrapped Around the Open Atrium with Natural Light in the Interior 2 House Wrapped Around the Open Atrium with Natural Light in the Interior

House Wrapped Around the Open Atrium with Natural Light in the Interior 3 House Wrapped Around the Open Atrium with Natural Light in the Interior

House Wrapped Around the Open Atrium with Natural Light in the Interior 5 House Wrapped Around the Open Atrium with Natural Light in the Interior

Dune House, Harsh Mediterranean Climate Storm House , Designed by Slee and Co Architects

Posted: 26 Jun 2013 09:43 AM PDT

Designed by Slee and Co Architects, located in Boggoms Bay, South Africa. Designed to withstand the harsh Mediterranean climate and strong N/W and S/E winds associated with the area.

Dune House Harsh Mediterranean Climate Storm House 1 Dune House, Harsh Mediterranean Climate Storm House , Designed by Slee and Co Architects

With the climate of the area varying wildly throughout the seasons, the architects felt it important that the house should be flexible in terms of how it adapts to these conditions. To this end, the house was designed in such a way as to retain heat in the winter, and provide shelter from the rain, and in summer to be protected from the sun and be allowed to breathe with large openings. This helped dictate the design of Dune House, with SLEE and Co. settling on a frugal application of building materials and basic detailing in order to withstand the harsh conditions.

Dune House Harsh Mediterranean Climate Storm House 2 Dune House, Harsh Mediterranean Climate Storm House , Designed by Slee and Co Architects

The design consists of a bedroom block at the back and an entertainment block on the sea side, with a sheltered courtyard connecting the two. In keeping with the frugal application of materials, the brick walls were plastered and painted with ship-lap plastered bands – evoking the wooden beach shacks situated along the coast – and the dune sand is reflected in the sandstone floor. The architects developed the site to borrow visually from the surrounding reserve to create a sense of space – hence the dark-black green colour of the house – and the galvanised fish-bone beam structures are evocative of the coastal elements of the surrounding area.